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ATP! Essential Listening: Halsey

If the killer indie-pop artist from New Jersey hasn’t already caught your ear, it’s about
time you put her debut EP, Room 93, on repeat. Her darkly textured sound and the razor-
sharp edge to her lyrics are more than enough to attract attention, but it’s one song in
particular, “Ghost,” that has created a frenzy around Halsey. With a huge chorus and
verses that feel like a punch in the gut, “Ghost” is certainly Halsey’s breakthrough track,
and one that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Without a doubt, Halsey will be compared to the likes of CHVRCHES and other similar
artists, but there is a depth to her deceptively sweet vocals and a grittiness to her lyrics
that are all her own. Though “Ghost” has already reached over two million plays on
Spotify, the rest of Room 93 is just as fantastic, if not better. “Hurricane” proves how
deep and dark Halsey is capable of reaching, sketching the outline of a wandering soul
that no one dares to claim, and “Empty Gold” displays an innate feel for creating
powerful choruses and bridges that are capable of settling into the listener’s bones.

The music videos for tracks on Room 93 are another testament to Halsey as an artist. The
scenes are a little seedy and a lot real, with actors and actresses that genuinely look like
everyday individuals. Room 93’s lyrics project the themes in Halsey’s music, particularly
that of East Coast authenticity and blunt, slightly twisted, storytelling. Halsey, it appears,
has started a storm.